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Criticism of the Sanctions

From the earliest days of the sanctions, critics have pointed to many serious flaws, including the humanitarian suffering of innocent civilians, the lack of clear criteria for lifting, and the failure of the sanctions to put direct pressure on Iraq government leaders.

Oil Pricing Dispute | Towards Lifting the Sanctions | Disagreement and Debates in the UN Security Council Wider Discussion on Sanctions Reform | Oil-for-Food Programme | Studies and Recommendations Statements Against Sanctions | Civilian Flights | Other Analyses of the Sanctions Links and Resources | Documents | Media Coverage | Statements Oil in Iraq | Sanctions Against Iraq | Back to the Iraq Crisis Homepage 2004 | 2003 | Archived Articles Highlighted Documents Iraq Sanctions: Humanitarian Implications and Options for the Future (August 6, 2002) A comprehensive report on UN sanctions against Iraq, issued by Global Policy Forum and eleven NGO partners on the twelfth anniversary of the original sanction resolution in the Security Council. The report discusses sharp differences in the Council over the sanctions, issues in humanitarian law, and the battle for the future of Iraq’s oil riches. 2004 Iraqi Sanctions: Were They Worth It? (January 2004) The Future of Freedom Foundation examines the humanitarian impact of UN economic sanctions imposed on Iraq since 1991. Despite warnings from the international community of an imminent humanitarian crisis due to the economic embargo, the US pressured the UN to maintain a firm line on Iraq. 2003 Were Sanctions Right? (July 27, 2003) As the war in Iraq recedes, the challenges of occupying and rebuilding the country grow more daunting. It has become clear that US bombing and the looting that followed were not the only causes of Iraq’s current state; the decade-long sanctions also greatly contributed to the country’s economic crisis. (New York Times) The Sanctions Game (May 19, 2003) For more than a decade the US imposed sanctions on Iraq that were viewed as among the “strictest, most closely regulated sanctions in the history of economic warfare.” Washington now asks the UN to immediately lift the sanctions so the US can start profiting from Iraq’s resources. (Yellow Times) Why the Security Council Will Never Lift the Sanctions on Iraq (March 12, 2003) According to this paper, sanctions against Iraq will not be lifted because some countries will demand 100 percent certified disarmament. (Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research) Sanctions and the "Moral Case" for War (March 4, 2003) Per Oskar Klevnas, research officer at the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq in Cambridge, questions the statement by British Prime Minister Tony Blair that a war on Iraq is a “moral case” to end the suffering of the Iraqi people. Blair does not mention that over the past 12 years more than 500 000 children have died because of the UN sanctions implemented by US and British governments. UN Embargo Sparks Rare Diseases (February 9, 2003) An international conference in Iraq is studying rare diseases in the country as a consequence of banned weapons used by Western allies. Shortages of medical appliances and drugs have worsened the situation by increasing the mortality rate. (Gulf-news)   Archives October through December 1999 July through September 1999 April through June 1999 January through March 1999 1998 and 1997 More Information on Iraq More Information on Iraq Crisis